


Milkshakes and French Fries

by just_chiara



Series: Somewhere Between Broken and Happy [5]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Normal Life, SO MUCH FLUFF, Timestamp, nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 08:05:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15792444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_chiara/pseuds/just_chiara
Summary: “Are you comparing our relationship to fries and milkshakes?” Alex looks at him. “Because I’m no fucking milkshake.”





	Milkshakes and French Fries

**Author's Note:**

> Can be read as a stand-alone, or as a timestamp for my WIP [We Don't Need to Whisper](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417603/chapters/35783970).

They’re sitting on a bench down at the docks with fries and milkshakes from their favorite burger place. Soon it’ll be too cold to hang out here. They’ve got a few more weeks at the most. Once the weather forces them to retreat inside, they’ll need to find another quiet place to hang out on days when they want to be alone.

Zach dips a couple of fries into his vanilla milkshake.

“That’s disgusting,” Alex says. “That’s, like, a crime against food.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Pumpkin Spice Popcorn,” Zach retorts.

“That was… a bad decision and I’m not afraid to admit it,” Alex laughs. “But it was last week, it’s ancient history now. It doesn’t give you an excuse to do _that_.”

Zach eats a few more milkshake-dipped fries. “Have you ever tried them? I mean, you’re the guy who’ll try anything on a menu.”

“And I won’t try _that_. What does this tell you?”

“That you are prejudiced against fries who are in love with milkshakes,” Zach says. It makes Alex laugh, and Zach’s heart does that thing where it skips a couple of beats and then accelerates to catch up.

“Well, maybe I am. So what?”

Zach dunks another fry into his milkshake. “So try it,” he says. “I know they shouldn’t go together but they totally do. I mean, if you think about it, we shouldn’t work either: I’m the jock and you’re the rebel with an attitude. But we do work! We’re great together.”

“Are you comparing our relationship to fries and milkshakes?” Alex looks at him. “Because I’m no fucking milkshake.”

“Of course not. You’re the fries, _duh_ ,” Zach smiles. “You’re the salt in my life, with your sarcasm and witty comebacks.”

Alex rolls his eyes. “And you’re the sugar in mine, metaphorically speaking?”

Zach lowers his head and laughs, embarrassed. “Yeah. Metaphorically speaking.”

“This is so cheesy,” Alex laughs. “Will you drop this if I try one?”

“I promise.”

Zach holds one milkshake-dripping fry close to Alex’s mouth and looks at him expectantly. Alex bites it and tastes it with a seriousness rarely reserved to fast food. “It’s… less disgusting than I thought it would be, but that’s about the nicest thing I can say about it.”

“You break my heart, Standall,” Zach sighs dramatically.

“You broke mine first by ruining a perfectly good milkshake.” Alex takes Zach’s hand in his, their fingers intertwine.

One heartbeat.

Two.

Three.

And then they let go because it’s too risky, even out here.

Alex pauses. He sighs with resignation before dunking a couple of fries into his own milkshake and eating them. “Alright, _maybe_ you have a point. They do go well together.”

Zach’s smile is so bright it almost hurts to look at him.


End file.
